One of the earliest forms of culture jamming started in Italy 1957, where three small artistic groups (the Letterist International, Movement for an Imaginist Bauhaus, and the London Psychogeographical Association) came together to form an international underground society; 'The International Situationists,' led by Guy Debord. In this era, their work involved theoretical and artistic creations that often gauged public attention with efforts to create uproar amongst society. One of their earliest works was the attack on Professor Bense in 1959 at the Museum of Ethnology in Munich, Germany. Bense was scheduled to talk at an 'Extremist-Realist' art exhibition, where he purposely wasn't invited to speak. The audience turned up to find a green suitcase placed on top of a podium, while inside a tape recording played in his supposed voice. He explained although he had important business in Zurich, he felt compelled to speak about the 'new art of the future' in Munich. He spoke in German, Latin and French as well as reciting quotations from Hegelian. The people of Munich couldn't help but be intrigued, and later humiliated when found he wasn't this articulate. Bense was outraged and for the first time situationismus became a part of the German language. This act of culture jam highlights the raw nature of the Situationists, how they created disruptions that involved protest, direct action and playing the system.
(http://www.affinityproject.org/groups/situationist.html)
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| The International Situationists |
One of the most influential forms of culture jam I found was the Apple inspired Iraq advert. This has the same elements Apple used for Ipod, but instead shows a picture of a solider with a gun, attached to a white ipod string. At the footnote it details how many Iraqi and US soldiers have died. This tactic created a link between popular culture and real-life situations. The contrast between the countries death tolls also highlights the way Apple (US) dominates Iraq and potentially controls them.
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| Apple inspired Iraqi culture jam |
I found it hard to find the most damaging culture jam, however I put it down to one that had a damaging effect on the brand. Mc Donald's in particular is known to have been affected by adverts such as Super Size Me and Big Mac Attack. This culture jam in particular associates Mc Donald's as a health risk and potentially dangerous. The impact these culture jams had on the brand forced a new healthier range to prove they weren't a risk to society.
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| Big Mac Attack |
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